Our impact: 100 Kingston residents help London Assembly shape new ambulance plans for millions of Londoners
In 2023, to ensure the views of people we engaged with helped inform change, we shared findings from our ‘London Ambulance Service Strategy 2023–2028: Healthwatch Kingston Community Engagement Report and Recommendations’ with the London Assembly Health Committee. Our research findings were included in the Committee’s formal letter to the London Ambulance Service (LAS) following their call for written evidence from patient groups and members of the public.
Kingston experiences supported learning that included:
- 111 was often unable to support someone who was trying to avoid using 999 or A&E departments at hospital.
- Emergency support should be readily available, and that wait times were too long.
I have only used LAS for emergencies. However, I find the wait times to talk to someone on 111 too long, and the triage questions too long and then the advice is not always that helpful. Often, because we are most likely to ring about the children, it is ‘take them to hospital, but that is what we are trying to avoid doing. I am not sure why I would ring 111 in the future to be honest.
Our community engagement report recommendations included:
- Improve the accessibility of public messaging about when to call 111 and 999 through different media, including but not limited to, Plain English, Easy Read, short information films and translations into languages other than English.
- Provide a plan and timescale on when the London Ambulance Service will become carbon neutral.
What difference did this make?
- LAS business plan commitments for year one of the new strategy include rapid and seamless care call answering within a 10 second average.
- 90% of patients requiring urgent clinical assessment will receive a call back within 1 hour.
- LAS will review their communications to public on using 999 and 111 services and devise a new public messaging campaign.
- LAS created short information film about the new ‘We are the capital’s emergency and urgent care responders’ strategy 2023-2028 and also provided it in a summary poster and easy read.
- LAS has committed to decreasing their carbon footprint and make 50 percent of their vehicles fully electric or hybrid by 2028.
